


The Truth About Us

by AmorVerdan



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmorVerdan/pseuds/AmorVerdan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The five times someone found out about the true nature of Harvey and Mike’s relationship, and the one time that they told someone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scottie

**Scottie**

Dana Scott was a smart person. She knew she was. Other people knew she was. No one ever questioned her competence or her amazing law prowess. She was top of her class in Harvard. She worked for the best international law firm there was. That was why she couldn’t fathom why, when it comes to one Harvey Specter, she seemed so incredibly and unbelievably stupid.

She really should have better taste in men.

Sitting there, in Harvey’s condo’s balcony waiting for said person to arrive, she started calling into question everything she had ever believed in her life. She had naively thought that she was a strong, independent, woman who “didn’t need a man”. But really, she could still kick ass like nobody’s business. It was just that, she was human too. She fell in love just like everybody else.

It was also because she had never met anyone like Harvey Specter. It seemed like such a cliche and she hated thinking about it in those terms but it was the truth. She tried. Oh did she ever. She tried loving another person and she even got engaged but it turned out that one look, one touch and one kiss from Harvey and she was a goner.

She heard the familiar turning of the knob and her heart started beating faster. She didn’t really know what she’d tell Harvey, or why she really was there in the first place. All she knew was that she wanted to talk to him, to see him at least, even though he’d made it clear last time they saw each other that _that_ was never gonna happen.

She slid the doors of the balcony open and came face to face with...

...a tired and harassed-looking Mike Ross. He looked terrified and spooked and she supposed it had something to do with her suddenly appearing in front of him but she ignored it for the more important question in her mind. “You’re not Harvey,” she said, confused.

“No, I’m not,” Mike said, the surprise and shock subsiding now. He looked equally as confused as Scottie.

“What are you doing here?” Scottie asked, baffled. What would Mike Ross need in Harvey’s condo? Maybe he was picking up something?

Mike seemed to have regained his confidence somewhat. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He said, dropping his keys on a bowl on the counter by the kitchen. Scottie continued to watch, transfixed, as he loosened his tie and kicked off his shoes like he lived here and...

...wait, did he live here? Did Harvey move and he gave his associate the rights to his old condo? “Where’s Harvey? Did he move?” She asked instead, refusing to answer his question. She didn’t need to answer baby Harvey’s questions, did she?

“Move?” Mike asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “You want one?” He said, indicating his drink.

She shook her head, still so confused. Before she could say anything else though, the knob of the door started turning again and in came Harvey.

He didn’t seem to notice Scottie at first, saying, “Mike, I told you to lock the doors whenever you-” that was when he stopped and noticed Scottie. “Scottie,” he said, looking vaguely amused and somewhat worried. “I knew I shouldn’t have given you a key to my place.”

“Is your associate living with you?” She asked suddenly. She really didn’t intend it to mean other than Harvey maybe helping out a friend who may had been evicted but when Mike Ross seemed to choke on his beer and the normally stoic, composed Harvey Specter’s eyes widened, she put two and two together and almost fainted herself.

“Yeah, okay, I’m gonna go shower,” Mike Ross said awkwardly, exiting as quickly as possible from Harvey’s and Scottie’s presence.

When he was gone and there was only silence, Harvey cleared his throat and said, “What are you doing here, Scottie?”

Stupid. So stupid. She thought that maybe... Well, that’s not happening now, is it? “So you... and _Mike Ross_?” She said in disbelief, because as much as the facts speak for the case at hand, she still can’t get herself to believe it. It just couldn’t be true.

Harvey shrugged and it was so uncharacteristic of him that it threw Scottie in for a loop. “You can ask exactly three questions,” was all he said.

“How long?” Was the first thing out of her mouth even though it really hadn’t been what she wanted to ask.

“About a year now,” he answered, loosening his tie and sitting on his really comfortable looking couch. She still had memories about that couch, or about Harvey’s entire condo, really. It wouldn’t do her good to think about those things now, though.

She knew Harvey has had relationships with men. It wasn’t exactly a huge secret on his part. Harvey had never been anything but confident and sure about himself. But a year? That was a surprise. She really thought that he couldn’t have a relationship because he wasn’t _capable_ of having one.

“When?” was her second question. When did it start? When did it happen? Was it before or after she declared her love for him? Was Mike Ross the whole reason why he couldn’t even _try_ with her?

“After the merger,” he answered. As always with Harvey, it was like pulling teeth when you were trying to get answers from emotional questions.

So _after_ she declared her love for him. After she fell so low in the emotional ladder that she almost couldn’t get back up. “Who made the first move?” was her last question. It was important to her, because then if it hadn’t been Harvey then maybe-

“Mike did,” Harvey answered but the momentary feeling of hope she felt was completely squashed when he immediately said, “but if he hadn’t, I would’ve.” And really, Harvey had never been anything but confident and sure of himself.

She didn’t realize she had been crying until she felt her voice break on her next words. “You said you cared about me.” She said accusingly. She held on to that. She held on to that tiny little bit of hope that someday, maybe someday they could be more than what they were now.

“I did,” he said, standing and crossing the room towards her. “And I do, Scottie. You will always be someone I care about. You will always be important to me. But I love Mike. I really do. I don’t know why because more often than not he is a giant pain in the ass but...” he trails off.

Harvey Specter not knowing _why_ he loved someone. It must be true love.

Maybe they’d passed their moment years ago. Maybe they had had so many missed chances. Maybe if she hadn’t been so focused on her career... but no. It wouldn’t do her good to think about that now. Maybe she really had just lost her chance the moment Mike Ross crashed into Harvey Specter’s life.

In a final act to be petty, she said spitefully, “He’s half your age.”

“He’s ten years younger than me. That’s hardly half.” He said dismissively. “I’m sorry Scottie. I really am. But Mike... He’s _it_ for me.”

And wow. Coming from Harvey Specter, that was almost a declaration of love, forever and ever, ‘til death do they part.

And now that she was looking for it, she finally saw it. The condo wasn’t just Harvey’s anymore. It was subtle but it was there. There were the books that she couldn’t ever remember Harvey being interested in scattered all over the coffee table. Skinny ties hanging off one surface or another and a panda painting hanging off the corner that looked so out of place. The condo was messy in a way that it had never been when it was only Harvey living there. She should have noticed it sooner but she was too preoccupied, thinking about whether or not Harvey would still be into their tradition of reunion sex.

Apparently not.

Mike emerged from the bedroom then, out of his suit and into an old, faded Harvard shirt and sweatpants. He looked so at home in this place, this place that she could _never_ have, and this unbelievable, unfathomable anger rose up in Scottie like flames trying to eat her from the inside out. Outside, she looked as calm as could be but inside, she wanted to rip something apart. This... this kid who took Harvey from her. She hated him and if she ever had the chance to run into him in court or some other circumstance, she’d be sure to annihilate him. It was irrational but she was in love. Nobody was ever rational when they were in love.

Mike hastily made his way to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, trying to be inconspicuous as possible even though his efforts were futile. All she could see was him. Even Harvey had momentarily disappeared from her view. Mike also grabbed some papers from the coffee table, said good night to Harvey with a kiss on the cheek and disappeared into the bedroom again.

It was in that simple act, that kiss on the cheek, that she saw it. It was as innocent as it could be but it also spoke volumes about their relationship. And that kiss? That was Mike staking his claim, subtly telling her to back off, that he was as invested in this relationship as Harvey was.

“Does anybody else know?” She asked, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes.

Harvey shook his head. “A few people.” Scottie knew that in Harvey-speak, that meant _Donna_. “We never really thought it was anybody’s business.”

She nodded. There really was no use trying to find a loophole into this mess. They couldn’t have been more different, Mike and Harvey, and at the same time, they couldn’t have been more alike. They were perfect for each other and that just fucking _grates_.

“I’ll show myself out,” she said, looking him straight in the eyes. Harvey nodded, reached out and kissed her on the forehead. Then with one last look, he went off and disappeared into the bedroom where Mike Ross was waiting.

She grabbed her bag off of the couch, wiped her tears and held her head up high. She walked out of Harvey’s condo feeling a little more like herself already, smart, capable and not stupid about love.

It would hurt now. It would hurt like never before, knowing that she couldn’t be with Harvey not because he was incapable of caring but because she was not good enough. But she knew, like all other things, it would pass. Someday, they could bury the hatchet and they could be friends again but in the meantime...

...she really would like the chance to _crush_ Mike Ross in court.


	2. Donna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the typos. This is my first ever fanfic.

**Donna**

There weren’t a lot of things that surprise Donna. For example, the fact that Rachel and Mike thought that they could hide their relationship and subsequent breakup from her was laughable. Took her five seconds of just looking at them to find out on both occasions. Really, who did they think she was?

Also the fact that Harvey thought he was being subtle with the way he was (adorably) pining for his own associate. Admittedly, that one threw her for a loop for a couple of days. The first time she noticed it was the first time Harvey took Mike to a client dinner. It was weird in itself because everybody knew that Harvey worked alone and even when he gained an associate after his promotion to senior partner, he still preferred working alone.

That was why it surprised her a little when she heard Harvey tell Mike in his office, “Get your tux. We’re going out.”

After some protests from Mike and a few fond (really fond; that’s shocking) eye rolls from Harvey, Mike relented, stepped out of his office in a huff and headed toward the elevators to, presumably, grab his tux or something. And when Donna looked back into Harvey’s office, he was smiling like an _idiot_.

Harvey Specter an idiot. It didn’t compute.

And okay, that was surprising. She never really thought that someone like Mike Ross would be Harvey’s type. He tended to lean more into the powerful, confident, brash type of people. Someone like Scottie, or Ted Philips or well, someone like himself. But Mike Ross? That was... _interesting_ , to say the least.

_That_ was the first time and for the most part, she ignored Harvey’s silly little crush, thinking it would resolve itself some time or other. But it happened again and again and again. And it had now come to the point that whenever it happened, it didn’t surprise her anymore. In fact, she expected it and was waiting eagerly for the day that Harvey will make a move.

Harvey’s crush had grown into full blown _Feelings_ with a capital F. It was excruciating to watch how much he struggled with it, at the same time it was the most fun that Donna’s had in years. It didn’t help that she began noticing how much Mike returned the affection, returned Harvey’s feelings equally and with as much intensity. And really, some days she just wanted to grab them both by their ties, shake them a couple of times and just make them _see_.

But as it turned out, Harvey Specter, best closer in New York, was a pussy when it came to matters of the heart (as if she didn’t already know that).

***

Today was the anniversary of the death of Mike’s parents. Donna knew that. That was why she also knew why he had been acting strange since this morning, why he almost spilled coffee on Rachel when he bumped into her by the elevators and why he barely acknowledged Donna’s presence when he handed her a file to be given to Harvey when he came back from his client meeting.

Donna knew that of course. It was her job to know that. Not a lot of people knew, but she did.

“Is Mike okay?” Rachel asked as she passed by Donna’s cubicle on her way to her office. She looked confused, the poor thing. She would have told her and set her mind at ease but then she didn’t think it was her place to say, especially since Mike didn’t seem to have told anyone.

Donna just shrugged, feigning innocence. “I wouldn’t know. He’s probably just busy.”

“No. He’s acting weird. He missed a couple of typos with the contract he drew up this morning.” Rachel said, and really, for Mike Ross, resident boy genius, that was saying something.

Donna didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to give anything away.

“Where’s Harvey?” Rachel asked after a while, glancing into his empty office.

Just as she was about to answer, Harvey came striding toward her cubicle, looking like he just lost a multi-million dollar contract judging by his expression. Rachel hastily made her exit. Smart girl. Things had been tense between her and Harvey ever since she and Mike became friends again after their breakup. Of course the poor girl had no idea why Harvey was acting like a jealous lover.

“Where’s Mike?” was how he greeted Donna, his voice a few octaves higher than normal which meant he really was pissed about something.

Without waiting for a reply from Donna, he made his way inside his office which Donna took to mean that she should call Mike over as soon as possible. Knowing that Mike was in a strange mood as well, she figured it would be best if she prepped him about Harvey’s bad mood before sending him into the Lion’s Den.

Mike was in his cubicle, proofing briefs when Donna got to the associates’ bullpen. She took a deep breath, walked over and waited for him to look up at her before saying, “Harvey’s looking for you.”

She hoped that the grim expression on her face told him everything he needed to know. And judging by his defeated expression, he figured it out. “He’s in a bad mood, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know why. He just came back from a client meeting pissed as hell looking for you.” She said quickly.

Mike nodded and said, “All right. I’ll be right there.”

With that, Donna made her way back to her own space and told Harvey that Mike was on his way over the intercom.

Ten minutes later, the explosion happened.

It started with Mike making his way rather timidly into Harvey’s office, which was strange because Mike was never timid when it came to Harvey’s space. Listening over the intercom, she heard Harvey ask him a series of questions regarding the merger documents that Mike gave him that morning for the client to sign. It turned out that there were some mistakes there that Harvey luckily caught or else they’d be screwed. Then it quickly devolved into Harvey shouting at Mike about how incompetent he was and, well, a lot of other hurtful things.

“What’s happening to you? I never had to proof your work before. I know you’re not a real lawyer but I didn’t think you were stupid!” Harvey said angrily and really, Donna was _this_ close to strangling Harvey.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” Mike said quietly. It was a testament to how bad the kid was feeling that that was all he had to say for himself.

“You better be sure about that because next time something like that happens, you’re fired.” Harvey threatened.

She heard Mike sigh and say, “Yeah, ‘cause that’s all that’s important, right? _Life is this, I like this_? Well fuck this Harvey. I quit.”

It was at that very moment that Donna dropped her pen in shock. She never thought that Mike would have the balls to say he quit. He had been mad at Harvey before but he never said that he wanted to quit.

“You don’t get to quit. You’re fired!” Harvey retaliated and that was when Donna decided that she had to do something before these events ventured into point of no return territory.

She got up from her desk and stormed into the office, “Harvey! That’s enough.” She said, stopping the man before he said something that he’d regret. “And you,” she added, turning to Mike, “go home. Get some rest.”

Mike only gave her a small nod before walking out of the office without looking back at at them. The moment he was gone, Donna turned to Harvey and said, “What is wrong with you? Did you really have to rip the kid a new one just for that?”

“It wasn’t a small thing Donna. It could have cost the firm a lot,” he reasoned.

“And you caught it just in time. What’s the point of nagging him about it? You could have just told him to pay more attention next time.” She said angrily because she _was_ angry. At some point, she had grown fond of Mike Ross and she was feeling particularly protective at the moment. “Any other day you could have ripped him a new one and he would have been fine, Harvey. He would have probably done his best to make it up to you somehow. You know that kid worships the ground you walk on. Just not today.”

That seemed to have caught him off guard. “Why? What’s with today?”

And really, how the hell did Harvey survive the first few years of his life without her? “It’s the anniversary of his parents’ death. Kid’s been moping the whole day. Even Rachel said he was acting strange.”

"Shit,” he said, the full reality of the situation dawning on him. “Well how was I supposed to know that?”

“I don’t know, Harvey, maybe by asking him what seems to be wrong? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice. You _talked_ to him this morning!”

“Well what am I supposed to do now?” The change from angry to panicked was remarkable. It almost gave Donna whiplash.

“I am very much tempted to tell you to figure it out for yourself but because I love you and Mike, I’m gonna tell you a little secret.” She paused for a while for dramatic effect and then added, “Apologize, Harvey. That’s all you can do.”

She left him to his own devices by that point to actually do some work. It didn’t stop her from glancing at Harvey’s office once in a while to check up on him though. As expected, he seemed really agitated and quite worried. He even instructed her to field all calls for the rest of the afternoon.

By the time six o’clock rolled around, Harvey was out of the office so fast, she didn’t even have time to update him on the changes on his schedule for the next day. She smiled to herself. She could email him the changes but she doubted that he’d be reading any of his emails if all went right tonight.

With that, she tidied up her cubicle and went home early for once, satisfied with herself for a job well done.

***

There weren’t a lot of things that surprise Donna. For one thing, the fact that Harvey and Mike thought they were being subtle the next morning with the hand holding and eye fucking was laughable. Really, who did they think she was? If she wasn’t Donna she probably wouldn’t have seen it, but c’mon, they should know better.

Also, the fact that Harvey obviously took the time to go back to his condo and get a change of clothes so that nobody would notice that he spent the night someplace else was a nice touch, but still not enough. He looked really tired but he was wearing his “I just got laid” face when he came into the office, so really, subtle he is not.

“Congratulations,” she said without looking up from her computer as Harvey passed by her cubicle on the way to his office.

He stopped, stared at her for a second then said, “What?”

“What?” She said back, finally looking up. She gave him her most innocent expression. If he didn’t want to tell her anything then that was fine. She wasn’t going to force him. She could get Rachel to get the details from Mike after all.

Harvey narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t get to say anything. This is your fault in the first place.”

“How is this my fault? I only told you to apologize. I didn’t tell you to _apologize_.” She said, using air quotes for emphasis.

Before Harvey could say anything though, Mike came bounding up to them, looking like his usual self with none of the cloud of despair hanging over him from yesterday. “Good morning, Donna.” He said brightly, handing her her morning coffee.

“You look better,” she said, sipping her coffee. “Feeling better?”

“Loads. Thank you,” he answered. Harvey was still standing there, looking from her to Mike like he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And really, she had had enough of all the not-acknowledging what was going on. “All right, let’s just get the elephant out of the way. I know, okay? I know about you two. I know how you’ve both been dancing around this whole thing for months now. And I know you slept together for the first time last night. You can never hide anything from me. You should know that by now.”

Mike looked at Harvey, smiled and then shrugged. “Yeah, I’m gonna go to my cubicle and do some actual work. See you guys later,” he said, giving Harvey a gentle pat on the back before walking away.

There was silence for a moment, then Harvey said, “Who said last night was the first time?” And really, Harvey’s smirk when he said that would haunt Donna for the rest of her life.

She _did not_ see that coming.


	3. Jessica

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the typos!

**Jessica**

Jessica Pearson was a pragmatic kind of person. She barely lost her cool in situations that required her to keep her cool and she always found a solution to things she needed to find the solution to. She prided herself on knowing all sides of the battle before making a move. She was rarely blindsided by the opponent. That was why it hurt something fierce when she found out that Harvey had planned to betray her and she had no idea about it at all.

For a while, she was angry. But it was less anger, more _hurt_. A deep kind of hurt. The kind of hurt you felt when you got wronged by someone you considered a dear friend, a part of your family. Harvey’s attempts to apologize only fueled the fire until it came to the point where she didn’t know if she could ever trust him again. Because the fact of the matter was, it wasn’t the first time Harvey betrayed her. He betrayed her the day he hired Mike Ross and endangered the whole _firm,_ endangered her whole life.

She wanted to tell Harvey that, but he already knew that. He already knew that she would forever hold that particular betrayal against him. On that matter, they had apparently reached a stalemate. Harvey would rather leave the firm than fire the kid and Jessica, well, she would rather have them both than none at all. Besides, Harvey was family. Despite all the hurt she was feeling, she knew, even from the moment he told her the truth, that she was going to forgive him eventually.

That was why she found herself knocking on his door at eleven o’clock in the evening with one of the most expensive bottle of scotch he had gifted her with. He looked as surprised as she expected when he opened the door.

“Jessica.” He said.

Jessica looked at him curiously. The surprise she expected, but that slight hint of fear? That was new. She thought that Harvey had long stopped fearing her for what she could do to him and his career but apparently, there was still a hint of that kid she plucked out of the mail room and sent to Harvard.

He let her in eventually and they poured out drinks for each other. Jessica eventually decided to put him out of his misery and told him that she wanted to forgive him already. Harvey visibly relaxed after that, and that was when she knew she made the right choice.

Eventually, the got to talking about the Eva Hessington case, arriving at the conclusion that the only way to crack the case was to appeal to Cameron Dennis’s conscience. That bothered Jessica a lot because he didn’t think that the man had one, but if Harvey thought it could be done then she supposed she had no choice but to trust him.

“What makes you think he would listen to you?” She eventually asked.

Harvey shook his head. “He wouldn’t listen to me. But he’ll listen to Clifford Danner.”

She had to admit, that was a good plan. Remind Cameron Dennis of the time when he put the wrong person in jail. There was just one problem, “Even if it was all Cameron’s fault, Clifford Danner still sees you as that lawyer who put him in jail fourteen years ago. How on earth are you planning to convince him to help you?”

There was something suspicious about Harvey’s smile then, but before he could answer her, his door suddenly opened and the familiar voice of Mike Ross floated throughout the living room. He wasn’t looking at them when he said, “Harvey, remind me to buy that extra strength-” and whatever he was about to say got lost in his lips when he finally turned to look at them.

“Um, Jessica, wow, you're really here,” he hastily said, dropping what appeared to be keys on the floor. He was carrying a stack of files in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other. “Good evening.”

Jessica couldn’t help but smile. It was fun to watch the kid flustered. “Mike, what a surprise to see you here.”

The kid’s eyes widened as he appeared to search for something right behind her. Belatedly, she realized he was looking at Harvey and when she turned to look at him, he was shaking his head rather aggressively.

_That_ was when Jessica realized that something was amiss.

“Harvey, care to tell me what’s going on?” She asked, although in her mind she was already trying to connect the dots. But perhaps the alcohol had dulled her senses because whichever way she looked at it, she couldn’t quite make sense of all of it.

Finally, Harvey spoke and in all the years that she had known him, she had never heard him sound this defensive. _Ever_. “Mike is living here.”

_Dammit, Harvey._

But of course she still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. She refused to think that he would be this stupid to even do something like this. “Did he get kicked out of his house?” She said in a tone that brooked no argument. She was actually willing both of them to just say yes, to deny the whole thing so that they could proceed from here on out in blissful ignorance.

But apparently, Harvey’s stubbornness when it came to Mike Ross was unparalleled. “No. I asked him to move in here. We’ve been seeing each other for a while now. We haven’t gotten around to tell you yet because of this whole mess but we were planning on it.”

Jessica looked at Mike Ross then, and he nodded to indicate his assent. “For what it’s worth, I was the one who told him not to tell you.” He said as he casually placed the stack of files and takeout food on the kitchen counter.

“Is _this_ why he got hired?” She said because she had to know. If Harvey put the firm in danger because he wanted to get into the pants of some kid, then she didn’t know what she’d do. She’d probably fire them both on the spot. Or possibly kill them. Or both.

Harvey just looked at her as though she had lost her mind. “You _know_ why he got hired. You _know_ how good he is. Don’t you dare discredit his abilities just because you’re mad at _me_ for hiring him in the first place.”

And there it was. Protective Harvey. Damn, she didn’t know it was already this serious. All right, she’d give him that. Even _she_ couldn’t deny how good the kid was at his job. “Well then,” she said, getting to her feet and grabbing her purse from the couch. “I expect you both to do your job and file the necessary paperwork with HR first thing in the morning.”

“We’ll get it done,” Harvey said like a petulant little kid. “And you, you’re going to have to talk to Clifford Danner tonight.” He added towards Mike.

“I’ll show myself out,” Jessica told them curtly.

In retrospect, Jessica should have known. The way Harvey defended Mike Ross every step of the way spoke of a different kind of relationship between the two of them. She really thought Harvey’s feelings toward the kid was just an extension of him seeing his little brother Marcus on Mike. Apparently, she was wrong and she was blindsided yet again by Harvey Specter.

She supposed she should be used to it by now. After all, she wouldn’t have even noticed Harvey enough to send him to Harvard if she didn’t see something different about him. And in all the years that she’d known him, she had never known Harvey to be anything but different.

Really, she had no one to blame but herself in that matter.


	4. Louis

**Louis**

Louis had his first inkling that time that Mike almost became his associate. He really had high hopes then, but at the back of his mind, he always knew that Harvey wouldn’t have let go of Mike that easily even though he had already said yes. Louis knew that he wasn’t the only one who saw Mike’s potential. He was pretty sure it was the reason why Harvey hired the kid in the first place. Besides, he wasn’t kidding when he referred to Harvey and Mike as the Prom King and his wonder boy. Harvey’s reaction to Mike’s betrayal regarding the whole merger was more betrayed lover than betrayed mentor and colleague.

So when he saw Mike and Harvey high-fiving in his office after Mike had agreed to be his associate, he wasn’t really all that surprised. He had kind of expected it, but then that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. He and Mike had a shared love of the law that he was pretty sure he would never find in another associate. At the same time, he couldn’t fault Harvey for not being able to let Mike go.

For days afterward, Mike tried his best to apologize, even going so far as to offer his voluntary help on most of Louis’s new cases and even offering to go mudding with him again. The truth was, he wasn’t really angry anymore. It was just fun watching the kid squirm. He hadn’t intended on keeping up the whole thing. He really just wanted to get back at Mike. And Harvey by extension.

A few months passed and all was relatively well in Louis’s world. He was tormenting Mike and all the other associates on an almost daily basis. Things came to a head when Louis accidentally let loose on Mike in the associates’ bullpen without knowing that Harvey was _right behind them._ If he remembered correctly, he was berating Mike for always prioritizing Harvey’s cases instead of the cases he was giving him. The other associates were all watching closely, glad that they weren’t the one being singled out at that moment.

“Louis!” Harvey’s familiar voice, authoritative and so damned cocky, suddenly sounded from behind him. “What are you doing?”

Honestly, Louis had always found it annoying how Harvey always seemed to question his authority over the associates. He had never even gone to the bullpen before Mike came to Pearson-Hardman. The last time Louis saw him there was when they were still associates. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to knock some sense into your associate.” He said matter-of-factly.

Harvey looked at him for what seemed like a full minute before saying, rather calmly, “Come with me.”

“If you think I’m going to follow just because you said so-” He began but he was cut off by what he deemed as the _Harvey Specter death glare._ He had been on the receiving end of that death glare approximately three times now.

All three times had never been pleasant experiences for him. So, without saying anything more, he followed Harvey out of the bullpen and into his office. He glanced at Donna on his way in but her expression gave nothing away.

The moment the door closed behind him, Harvey said, “I need you to lay off of Mike Ross.”

“And why would I do that?” He said defiantly. Harvey must have forgotten that he had wronged him. It was not the other way around.

“Because I know you’re doing this to punish him for something that wasn’t really his fault and it’s unbecoming of you, Louis,” he said casually, sitting on his office couch.

_The nerve._ “Unbecoming? You wanna talk unbecoming? Well, how about the fact that we had a deal, Harvey? I asked you and you said didn’t care about Mike, then suddenly you poach him from me? I knew you were many things, but I never figured you for someone who’d go back on his word.”

And well, the expression on Harvey’s face the moment he finished saying those things was something that Louis had never seen before. He didn’t really know what to make of it. He had never seen Harvey look so desperate, pleading and guilty all at the same time.

“I care about Mike,” he finally said, and the _way_ he said it just made Louis’s jaw drop. Of all the things he said, that was what Harvey took note of most? This was it, the confirmation he’d been looking for. People may not know it about him but he was incredibly perceptive. And Harvey, well, the great Harvey Specter was in love with his lowly boy wonder.

He just wondered if Mike knew that or if he had any idea at all.

“So I’m asking this as a _favor,_ Louis,” Harvey said calmly, voice low. “Lay off of Mike. It’s not his fault. He’s under a lot of pressure right now. Don’t blame him for something that I did.”

He felt kind of bad then, because he hadn’t really intended to make Mike’s life miserable. Of all the things he’d said about the kid, he actually considered him a friend. He was also one of the few associates who had ever managed to impress him. So he acquiesced to Harvey’s request. “All right. Mike Ross would be unharmed from this day forward.”

As he was leaving Harvey’s office, he distinctly heard the man say, “Thank you, Louis.” He was pretty sure he hadn’t misheard that nor imagined it. He would have recorded it if he could.

He came to only one conclusion as he was walking toward his own office. Harvey Specter had it bad for Mike Ross. The man may really be in love if he was _thanking_ him and somewhat indirectly apologizing to him.

  
***

  
For Louis, nothing would beat the feeling of a job well done. He didn’t mind spending most of his free time at the office, didn’t really mind going home at even past midnight at times. He lived and breathed the law. It was second nature to him. That was why lawyers like Harvey Specter pissed him off sometimes. Skirting through the hard work, slacking off at times and relying more on pure dumb luck with their _play the man_ attitude. He knew that he and Harvey had different styles but sometimes it just pissed him off how Harvey would look at him and think that he was a mediocre lawyer just because he didn’t play by _his_ rules.

Harvey was not the kind of man who would spend his late nights at the office. Maybe when they were associates Harvey spent a lot of time doing his own work, but now that he was a partner? Well, Harvey Specter would rarely be caught dead at the office past six in the evening.

That was why, on the rare occasions that Louis would pass by his office and see Harvey still working, it surprised and intrigued him. It meant that either Harvey was tackling a particularly difficult case or that he didn’t have Mike Ross around to help him with the grunt work.

The night was just like any other night. Harvey was not in his office when Louis passed by which was not surprising given the lateness of the hour. What was surprising, however, and even downright _weird_ in Louis’s opinion, was the fact that he found Harvey Specter in the associates’ bullpen. Okay, maybe Louis wasn’t being fair to him. After all, ever since he hired Mike Ross, Harvey had spent a significant amount of time checking up on his associate.

And... oh! Yeah, _okay_ , that made sense.

Harvey was sitting beside Mike in his cubicle. He appeared to be throwing random things at his associate while Mike worked on a pile of briefs that Louis put there that morning. And, wow, Harvey Specter, _childish_? He never thought he would see the day. It was surprising how Mike could keep his concentration.

Apparently, Louis spoke to soon because Mike irritably said, “Would you cut that out? I don’t wanna stay here longer than I have to.”

“Just leave it. It’s Louis’s stuff. I told you to prioritize _my_ cases.” Harvey answered, whining like a little bitch.

Oh if Louis only had his dictaphone with him. This was priceless. Unfortunately, Norma forgot to buy batteries for the thing. He moved closer toward the pair, careful to hide himself in the other associates’ cubicle. Louis wasn’t the kind of creepy guy who would listen in on other people’s conversation but if it came down to getting blackmail material against Harvey Specter? He could be _that_ guy.

“And that’s what I did _all_ day. That’s why I didn’t get to finish this,” Mike answered, jabbing his highlighter on the file he was reading. “Why don’t you go on home? I promise I’ll head back as soon as I can.”

“I don’t want to. You know I can’t sleep without you.” Harvey answered and really, this was getting weird. Louis was suddenly starting to regret his decision to listen in on their conversation.

That made Mike laugh. “If only Louis can hear you now. He’d never let you hear the end of it. What was up with you and him this morning anyway?” At that, Harvey Specter honest to fuck, _pouted_. It was a remarkably weird sight. This was the kind of thing that Louis would ask himself in the morning if it really happened.

“Remember when I told you I have a protective streak about a mile wide?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.” Mike answered, smile in his voice. Apparently, that was enough of an explanation for Mike because he added, “But you gotta be careful. You wouldn’t want him to find out, would you?”

“Of course I want him to find out. I want everyone to find out.” Harvey said confidently. Now that sounded more like the Harvey Specter that Louis knew.

“You’re delusional,” Mike said, shaking his head. “I call bullshit.”

“You don’t believe me?” And that was a challenge if Louis ever saw one. Harvey always did love a challenge.

That made Mike pause. He turned away from the brief he’d been proofing and looked at Harvey. “I dare you to call Jessica right now and tell her you’ve been fucking your associate for over a month now.”

There was a pause, at which point Louis’s eyes just about bugged out of its sockets. He _suspected_ , yes he did, but he never thought that it was _true_. He knew that Harvey was in love with Mike but he didn’t know that it worked both ways. It was just one of those things that you assumed would happen eventually but never actually would. So many things were running through Louis mind at that very moment. Who else knew? Did Donna know? Of course she knew. How dare he think otherwise.

He got distracted from his thoughts when Harvey suddenly pulled out his phone from his pocket and started scrolling through his contacts as _if_ he’d actually call Jessica-

“Hey Jessica?” Harvey began and at that point, Mike started making the universal gesture for _shut it down_ rather frantically. But Harvey didn’t stop. “Yeah, sorry for the lateness of the hour. There’s just something I gotta tell you.” Mike started stomping his feet and pushing Harvey’s arm in an effort to dislodge the phone from his ear. “Yup. I successfully closed Mrs. Davidson. Your firm’s just about half a billion dollars richer as of two thirty this afternoon.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Harvey finally hung up the phone then turned to Mike. “Now do you believe me?”

“I do, okay?” Mike said, laughing rather nervously. “Never do that again. You know I was just kidding. You know she’d kill me if she ever finds out. She’d probably send me to work in the file room for the rest of my days.”

“Oh c’mon. Don’t be so dramatic.” Harvey said dismissively. “You’re my associate. What happens to you would be my decision. Not anybody else’s.”

“All the more reason why she’d find a way to fire me for sure. And she’d probably have you doing pro-bono cases for the rest of the year.” Mike answered, turning back to the briefs that needed proofing.

Harvey smiled. It was the kind of smile that Louis had never seen on Harvey’s face. Ever. It was fond, soft and sweet. Something that would never, ever be seen on Harvey Specter’s face by mere mortals. “Don’t you know, rookie?”

“Know what?”

“That I’d fight for you, when it comes down to it.” Silence, and then Harvey stood and kissed Mike on the forehead. “Finish up here then come home, okay? Bed gets too cold without you.”

Mike positively beamed at that and that was all Louis needed to decide to keep whatever he witnessed tonight to himself. He wasn’t Mike and Harvey’s biggest fan but he was enough of a man to know that when someone found something like _that_ in their cutthroat world? No man had a right to ruin it. It wasn’t anybody’s business, much less Louis’s. As far as he knew, it never happened.

Harvey Specter, the romantic? Who would have thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the timeline. I'm not following any particular timeline so if it seems screwed up and confusing, I'm sorry about that.


	5. Rachel

**Rachel**

It took her an embarrassing amount of time to get over Mike Ross. Truth be told, Rachel was not the kind of woman who would spend her days pining over a man, but Mike was different. No matter how cliched that sounded, it was still true. She had never met anyone like him before. Brilliant but so self-deprecating. Amazing and cocky at times but still with a heart of gold. Nobody had ever made her feel the way that Mike Ross did, so it really pissed her off and hurt her so badly when Mike told her that they could only be friends.

At first she thought it was because he was harboring a huge secret. The kind of thing that if she found out, she’d wish she never did, or probably something that could bring down the whole firm. After a few days of thinking along those lines however, she realized how crazy she sounded. Then she thought that maybe he had a family stashed somewhere, wife and kids and the whole nine and that’s why he couldn’t date her.

That was just as crazy so she tabled that particular line of thought pretty quickly.

It wasn’t really egotistic of Rachel to think that Mike was interested in her before. She was pretty sure that he was, but then somewhere along the way she probably missed her chance because suddenly, Mike was being just a _good friend_ to her.

It turned out that she didn’t have to guess so hard. Observing him in the office was enough. The way he would smile at something on his phone whenever she managed to catch him at the associates’ bull pen, or the way he talked whenever they managed to work alongside each other doing research in the file room only spoke of one thing. He was in love with someone else.

Some other woman managed to snatch up one Mike Ross while Rachel wasn’t looking. If that was the case, then Rachel couldn’t really blame her. Mike was quite the catch after all.

Still, she was curious. She wanted to know who it was. Was it someone at the office? It couldn’t have been Jenny because she knew that ship had sailed a long time ago. It couldn’t really be someone outside the office because working at Pearson-Hardman didn’t really give anyone time to socialize outside of work. Could it be a client? It was possible. It also accounted for all the secrecy. The firm had strict rules against dating clients.

In the end, she decided to ask Donna.

“I know you know everything so you _have_ to know this. Who is Mike Ross dating?” She asked straightforwardly as she passed by Donna’s desk on her way to her own office.

Donna raised her head from whatever she was typing up and stared at Rachel for all of five seconds before saying, “Are you asking because you want to know who you have to kill to get Mike Ross into bed with you or are you asking because you’re curious?”

If Rachel was being honest with herself, it was a little bit of both. “Just curious.” She knew that wasn’t gonna fly for Donna Paulsen though so she added hastily, “I mean, if he was gonna turn _me_ down, it’s gotta be for someone who’s on a whole different level, right?”

Donna smiled a knowing smile. “A _whole_ different level.”

Gotcha. “So who is it?”

Donna shook her head rather sadly though and bit her lip. “As much as I want to tell you, _I really can’t_.” The way she said it, however, made Rachel think that Donna wanted her to read, well in this case _hear_ , between the lines.

“Why not?”

“Rachel, focus,” she said sternly. “There are only a few of things on a wide range of topics that I _can’t_ ever tell you. Now _think_. _Why_ can’t I?” At that, Donna gave her one last sharp look and went back to what she had been working on.

As she walked back to her office, Rachel thought over what Donna said. What were the things that Donna said she couldn’t touch within a ten foot pole? She mentioned those to her the first time they had drinks together. First was her ex-husband. That had always been a no-go for her. The second was her time at the DA’s office alongside her past almost-relationship with Harvey and the third was... Harvey.

_Harvey._

_No way._

She had to clutch her desk in her office for support when she suddenly realized what Donna was trying to tell her. There was no way in hell that Mike was dating Harvey, was there? But then it was _Donna_ who told her. Unless that wasn’t the message she was trying to send. Holy shit her head was spinning.

If they really were involved, then how the hell did Rachel miss the signs? It would have been impossible for them to hide a relationship especially since they worked so closely together. Mike still complained to her almost daily about the amount of work Harvey gave him. Most of the time Rachel even agreed with him. Mike’s workload would be impossible for a regular associate.

Apparently, going to Donna had only raised more questions. So there really was only one thing left to do.

She would ask Mike herself.

***

In retrospect, heading straight to Mike’s apartment after office hours probably wasn’t her greatest idea ever. But she wasn’t able to catch him in the office earlier on account of this huge case he was working on and she couldn’t wait another day. It was kind of a split second decision, and then she just suddenly found herself taking a cab over to his place. She figured now was as good a time as any anyway.

She lingered by the hallway for a few minutes before gathering up the courage to knock on his door. At that point, it was another few seconds of agonizing waiting before Mike finally opened up.

“Rachel!” He said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

There really was no use beating around the bush. “I need to talk to you,” she said rather seriously.

“Okay?” he said, still confused. But he opened the door wider to let her in. Her jaw almost fell to the floor when she stepped inside however, because Harvey Specter was sitting on Mike Ross’s couch in jeans and a simple button-down shirt, watching a football game on television and eating pizza. She had _never_ even seen Harvey in anything but a suit. She felt like she had just entered another dimension.

Harvey gave her a polite nod to acknowledge her presence before turning back to the game as Mike led to her to sit on one of the chairs by the dining table. There really wasn’t much wiggle room so she figured that whatever they talk about, Harvey would hear. Fortunately, he seemed rather engrossed on the game.

“Do you want anything to drink?”

She shook her head. She already felt like she was imposing on what was apparently date night. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that they were probably having _date night_ and that she interrupted them. They were even probably making out on the couch before she knocked and, wow, that image was... surprisingly _hot_.

“So what’s up?” Mike said as she sat opposite her.

She didn’t think she still had to ask Mike about the whole thing. Seeing Harvey in his apartment in the flesh was evidence enough. Neither Mike nor Harvey seemed really fazed by her presence though. She figured there would be some sort of tension if they were trying to keep their relationship a secret from everyone at the office. Maybe they were just hanging out as friends?

Harvey suddenly got up from the couch, stretching a little and, wow, Harvey was... _something else_. He was great looking in a suit but he looked downright _illegal_ in casual clothes.

“Good night,” he said, walking passed them toward the bedroom. “Good night, Rachel.” He kissed the top of Mike’s head before finally disappearing through the door.

So, yeah, definitely _not_ friends.

“Um, honestly, I just,” she began, not really knowing what to say. Okay, it was getting ridiculous. She was a grown damned woman and if she wanted to become a lawyer, she had to learn how to ask the difficult questions. “Is this the reason why we couldn’t be?” She realized that was sort of a cop out but she figured Mike would figure it out regardless.

Just as she was expecting, Mike turned to glance at the bedroom door for a second before answering. “I’m gonna be honest with you, Rachel, because you deserve that.” He began and Rachel steeled herself for the oncoming harsh truth. “Yes. I’m dating Harvey. It’s only been going on for a couple of months. And we’d greatly appreciate it if it could stay a secret at the office.”

She didn’t get it. How could they be so calm in front of her then? They should be panicking, right? They should be trying to ply her with as much blackmail material to stop her from blabbing. After all, she was Mike’s scorned almost-ex.

“But Harvey isn’t the reason why we couldn’t be,” Mike continued. “It was just circumstance, Rachel. When I was ready, you weren’t and when you were ready, I wasn’t. I’m sorry.”

She smiled ruefully at him. “You don’t have to apologize. I understand, Mike. Just, aren’t you supposed to be freaking out now that I’ve found out? I mean, you do want to keep it a secret, right?”

“I do but Harvey doesn’t.” He answered simply. “I just don’t want people thinking I get special treatment because I’m screwing the boss. But if worse comes to worst, then we won’t deny it.”

“That... that sounds pretty serious.” She said because it did. If they’d only been dating for two months, that wasn’t something that they should even be considering. They should be actively trying to hide their relationship as much as possible, especially since the dynamics of their relationship was kind of complicated owing to the fact that Harvey was his boss.

But Mike just shrugged. “It’s what we agreed on before we started this whole thing.” He laughed a little then turned very serious all of a sudden. “You should know Rachel that I never had any intention to hurt you. So if I did-”

“No, Mike,” she immediately cut him off. She knew that. At the bottom of her heart, she knew Mike never meant to cause her any pain. “I know that. I can’t honestly say that I’m okay right now though. But we’ll be friends no matter what.” That at least, she knew to be true.

“Thank you.”

“I should go.” She said, standing up. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the office, okay?”

Mike nodded. “All right.”

All in all, it really wasn’t a wasted night. Sure, she walked in on what was probably an intimate time between Mike and Harvey which was awkward as hell, but she got the closure she didn’t know she had been looking for. Plus, she got to see _the_ Harvey Specter in casual clothes. She was pretty sure only a few people were ever given that privilege.

Besides, Mike and Harvey together? She could get behind that...

_Eventually._


	6. And that one time they told someone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last! Oh, and, disclaimer: Text in bold is not mine. It was blatantly ripped off from the last scene of Suits Season 3, Episode 3 (Unfinished Business).

**And that one time they told someone**

Once again, Mike was awake five minutes before the alarm and he had been waiting patiently for the past two minutes for the the thing to just go off and be done with it. It had been a particularly stressful week at the firm and his only consolation was that today was a Friday. Although considering the amount of work he had to go through for the day, it really wasn’t much of a consolation after all.

When his phone alarm finally went off three minutes later, he shut it off immediately so as not to wake Harvey (who could be really grumpy if he was woken abruptly in the mornings, he found out early in their relationship). Of course, being a senior partner afforded him the luxury of coming into work any time he pleases so he didn’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour every morning.

Only Mike did.

He sat up slowly, still trying to make sense of the fact that it was a brand new day and at the same time making a check-list in his mind of the things he had to do for the day. There was still that contract he hadn’t finished reviewing two days ago because he had been distracted. It was very rare for Mike’s mind to actually be distracted enough to not perform his job properly but he figured he was entitled because that was also the day after the surprise Scottie visit in _their_ home.

He wasn’t a jealous guy. He wasn’t really the type of person to hold previous relationships against someone he was currently dating. That was why he tried to give them space to talk, to hash things out, and for Harvey to actually inform Scottie that he was in _a relationship now, thank you and you may go. Lock the door behind you when you leave, will you?_ Because apparently, she didn’t know. Not then anyway.

The argument that followed Scottie leaving that night had been spectacular. They were both lawyers (him more in spirit than in actual degree, but you know, semantics), it was a given that they’d have arguments of epic proportions. He was mad that Harvey never bothered to tell Scottie that he wasn’t single anymore, and that he wasn’t living alone anymore. Harvey was mad because of course he wouldn’t have been able to tell Scottie. He hadn’t seen her since the last time, when he put her on a plane back to London.

Mike didn’t know what got over him that night. He wasn’t the type of guy to pick fights over things like that. It was just that... it was Harvey and it was Scottie and they had _history_ and that was very hard to compete with. He _was_ jealous. There was no other way to put it. So after spending the night on the couch, he apologized the next morning, told Harvey the truth about his _jealousy_ (he really hated that word) and they talked it out. Harvey told him what he told Scottie that night, that he was _it_ for him. And he knew, Harvey being Harvey, that was actually, quite possibly, _extremely hard_ for him to admit.

And he may have, quite possibly, only slightly probably, got a little giddy over that particular thing. Only _slightly_.

At exactly fifteen minutes past six in the morning, he decided that he has had enough time to contemplate the past few days and turned all his attention and focus into actually getting up and out of the bed. But just was he was about to put one foot down on the floor, he was immediately yanked back by Harvey’s wandering arms.

“No work today,” he mumbled into Mike’s hair, eyes still closed.

“It’s only Friday,” Mike answered, trying to gently extricate himself from Harvey’s arms. “I’m pretty sure it’s still a work day.”

Harvey only tightened his grip on him. “You’re not going into work today.” He said, much more clearly now, although he still hadn’t opened his eyes.

“What? No. I can’t take a leave of absence. My boss will kill me.” Mike said dramatically.

Finally opening his eyes, Harvey smiled. “Your boss must be a dick.”

“Asshole too,” Mike said agreeably as he finally managed to break free of Harvey’s grip.

He sat up then, stretching a little and kissing Mike’s forehead. “I’m sure he’d be okay with taking today off,” he added a little seriously.

Mike was quite adept at deducing the different tones of Harvey’s voice. There was that _I’m your boss right now, not your boyfriend,_ or that _I’m actually trying to be romantic but I don’t know how_ and a whole range of others that Mike has cataloged in his brain.

That was one tone that was quite unfamiliar. “Sounds serious. What’s with today?” He asked, and then, suddenly horrified, he added, “Did I miss anything?” Because that was impossible. There were no birthdays or anniversaries he could have possibly forgotten about today. He couldn’t have missed anything. His brain wouldn’t have let him miss anything, and if he did then his brain had failed him and then-

“Stop worrying. No, you didn’t miss anything,” Harvey clarified, easing his worries. “We’re just going somewhere.”

_That_ was one tone that Mike was familiar with. It was the tone Harvey used the first time he asked Mike out on an actual date. Extremely excited but kind of anxious. “You look excited. I’m slightly worried,” he teased. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out later.” Harvey said with that smug smirk of his that Mike had always found kind of adorable, although he’d never dare tell the man that. “Now can we go back to bed? It’s too damn early. We can still sleep in a for a few more hours.”

Mike thought about that for all of five seconds before saying, “Really? You wanna go back to sleep? We’re awake now, old man.”

“Did you seriously just call me old?”

Mike ignored that in favor of saying, “Last time I checked, morning sex is still on the table. Unless you can’t get it to-” Whatever else he was about to say was drowned out by Harvey suddenly tackling him to the bed and showing him exactly how old he is _not_.

Much, _much_ later, when they were finally getting ready to leave the condo and Mike was grabbing anything and everything he might need because he still didn’t know where they were going and Harvey was being very tight-lipped about the whole thing, he finally noticed the bottle of scotch sitting on the kitchen countertop. Mike didn’t know much about liquors but he was pretty sure that it was a particularly expensive one. It was odd because Harvey’s liquors were usually kept in his liquor cabinet. He was very particular about that sort of thing.

“Grab that, will you?” Harvey called from the living room, gesturing towards the bottle of scotch.

So they were going somewhere that required an expensive bottle of scotch. Maybe they were meeting with a client? “Still won’t tell me where we’re going?”He asked, taking the bottle carefully and having no idea where to put it.

Harvey just smirked mysteriously before saying, “C’mon, let’s go. We’re gonna miss the train.”

_The train?!_

***

For Harvey Specter, it all started the day he made senior partner. He had no idea then that making senior partner would entail hiring his own associate. He never really liked working with anybody else, even in law school. That was why it surprised him when he found someone he worked surprisingly well with. And that he also found someone that he would willingly risk the career he had spent most of his life creating and perfecting within minutes of meeting said person. He wasn’t thinking about that at the time he hired Mike though. All he saw was this brilliant boy genius and so much wasted potential.

Truth be told, he saw himself.

In the beginning, all he wanted was to do for Mike what Jessica did for him because Mike, incredibly, _against all odds,_ managed to impress him. Selfishly, he also wanted to find his very own diamond in the rough. He was Jessica’s and he thought Mike could be his. He figured he’d have his very own _I mentored that kid_ moment.

He didn’t really count on Mike giving him _so much more_ than that.

They worked so well together that sometimes he would forget what it was like working pre-Mike. He had forgotten what it was like working on his own. On the rare occasions when he was reminded, like when Mike was working on something for Jessica or Louis and therefore couldn’t prioritize his cases, he would feel Mike’s loss so severely that it would be like he’d lost a limb. And he would wonder how he had ever managed to do any work in the past before Mike Ross came crashing into his life with his briefcase full of pot.

It didn’t take long for Harvey to realize that that kind of feeling weren’t really under the normal boss-subordinate kind of relationship. He certainly never felt that way about Jessica and he was certain Jessica never felt that way about him either. In the beginning, he may have been in the denial. But he wasn’t stupid. Secretly having feelings for his associate and acting upon them were two very different things though. So when he brought Mike to Atlantic City _that night_ , he really didn’t have any intention of doing anything at all. He really just brought him to meet with a client and to possibly kind of impress the kid a little.

It didn’t stop him from finding Mike’s counting cards story utterly adorable though. And as long as Mike didn’t notice, he figured no harm no foul. He figured he’d been fucked from the moment he hired Mike anyway. It wouldn’t do him any good to deny it now. But, somewhere between the night descending into utter chaos on his client’s end and getting a little bit drunk because c’mon, Atlantic City, he had kissed Mike.

He threw common sense right out of the proverbial window, kissed Mike _and_ kissed him again. And it was good. Better than good. It was fantastic, even. But it was complicated. As soon as his lips touched Mike’s it had been a constant war between _oh yes, finally_ and _no I can’t do this, this is wrong, I’m his boss._

They wouldn’t talk about it in the morning though. And at that time, when pressed, Harvey would have probably denied it until his dying breath. For days afterward, Mike couldn’t even look him in the eye and the sheer obviousness of it all made him cringe, knowing that if Donna was there, it would be impossible for her not to know already.

Things eventually went back to normal with no mention whatsoever of what happened in Atlantic City. Mike went back to flirting with Rachel and Harvey went back to... Well, Scottie came back. So that was that.

It was true what he told Scottie though. Mike did make the first move but that was long before he made the _pre-first_ move. He wasn’t really sure if that was an actual thing but when he told Mike that one time, he assured him that it was.

If he hadn’t made senior partner, he wouldn’t have met Mike Ross. And that, to Harvey, made all the difference in the world.

***

When Pearson-Darby happened, nobody was convinced that Mike _didn’t_ want it to happen. Mainly because he was instrumental in _making_ it happen. But that was only because whatever Harvey might think about his guns and one hundred forty six other ways metaphor, when you’re up against Jessica Pearson herself, there were actually one hundred forty six guns and no way out.

So no. Mike didn’t want the merger mostly because _Harvey_ didn’t want the merger. But also because, selfishly, a merger would mean that Harvey and Scottie would work more closely than ever before and he didn’t want that. He knew that Scottie was in love with Harvey (courtesy of Donna) and he, on the other hand, was _in Feelings_ with the man. And wasn’t that just sixteen different kinds of awkward when Scottie approached him and gave him a way to help out Harvey.

His hands were tied, the whole merger happened and Harvey was definitely mad at him. It was the worst time of Mike’s life working for the firm. It was true what he told Jessica then. He wouldn’t want to work at the firm if he wasn’t solid with Harvey. The one extremely small, bright spot was the fact that Harvey chose to send Scottie back to London. Although he suspected that was more because he still felt betrayed by the whole merger thing and less about his actual feelings for her.

When he and Harvey made up, he promised himself that whatever happened next time, Harvey would always come first. No matter if he went to jail if Jessica ever made good on her threat to expose him. His loyalty would always be to Harvey.

That loyalty was immediately put to the test, however, the night Harvey told him about his plans of taking over the firm from Jessica.

The moment Harvey handed over the glass of scotch, Mike immediately knew something was amiss. **_“Harvey, we just admitted to each other that we’re defending a murderer. Doesn’t really seem like a cause for celebration.”_**

**_“It’s not a celebration,”_** Harvey said seriously. **_“Remember when you said Butch and Sundance were back? They weren’t.”_**

A feeling of dread fell over Mike then. Had Harvey not really forgiven him yet? Was he still holding a grudge? Fearful of the answer, he asked, **_“What do you mean?”_**

**_“I mean it’s time I told you I made a deal with Darby to take over the firm from Jessica.”_** Harvey answered, straightforward. He was looking at Mike, and it felt like his eyes were boring holes into his skull.

Mike was stunned. There was literally nothing he could say so he just sipped his scotch and waited for Harvey to speak again. When after a few minutes he didn’t say anything, Mike cleared his throat and asked, “What do you want me to do?” Because he knew, no matter how long and hard he thought about it, his answer wouldn’t have changed. Harvey first, above _anything_ else. Call it blind loyalty but, well, the other associates didn’t call him Harvey’s puppy for nothing.

Harvey smirked. “Just like that? Jessica can have you arrested, you know.”

Laughing even though he was nervous, he answered, “She wouldn’t because you’d win. And I know you wouldn’t let me go to jail.”

He nodded approvingly. “Good answer. Now finish your drink and get out of my sight,” he added playfully.

To this day, Mike would plead temporary insanity when asked about why he did what he did that night. He put the glass of scotch down on the table between them, got to his feet and walked over to Harvey’s side. For a second or two, he just looked at him, thinking about the man beyond the suits, the charm, the firm and everything else. “What?” Harvey said, laughing a little at Mike’s rather serious scrutiny.

Mike would never be able to tell anyone what went through his mind that night. All he knew was that he was putting everything in the hands of the man who gave him _everything_ , the man who risked everything for him.

“Don’t push me away,” was the only thing he said before he bent down and planted a kiss on Harvey’s lips. There was a moment of surprise and hesitation, more on Harvey’s part than on Mike’s, but then, perhaps sensing that it was a lost cause, Harvey gave in and it was the most, absolutely, perfect thing that Mike had experienced in the middle of this clusterfuck of a merger.

It was a long time coming. Ever since that night that Harvey kissed him and thought he would just forget about the whole thing the next morning. He didn’t know why he didn’t say anything then, but tonight, as he pushed Harvey down on the couch and made out with him in the middle of his office, he decided he wouldn’t take no for an answer anymore.

He eventually had to pull back to get some air into his lungs, but before Harvey could say anything, he whispered, “No ifs, ands or buts.”

That made Harvey laugh even though his expression was still serious. “This is not a good idea. I’m your boss. We work together.”

“And I’m sure you’ve been telling yourself that ever since you kissed me in Atlantic City,” Mike answered, pulling back completely now to better look at his eyes. “But here’s the thing, Harvey. We both know it wouldn’t make much of a difference if you were my boss or if we were simply colleagues or even if we just met each other at a bar, because we both know that the moment you met me, you’ve been gone for me.”

“Pretty full of yourself there, aren’t you?”

“I learned from the best,” Mike said smugly. “And just so you know,” he added, getting up off the couch and putting his hands in his pants pocket, “the feeling has always been mutual.”

The expression on Harvey’s face was a cross between proud, annoyed, jubilant, approving and slightly resigned. Not unlike the first time he saw Mike put on a suit that cost more than two thousand bucks. When he finally got up from the couch, Mike knew he had won.

Harvey may be the best closer in the city but Mike could totally give him a run for his money.

“Let’s go,” he said, buttoning up his jacket.

Mike was confused for a moment. “Where are we going?”

“My place,” Harvey answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Then tomorrow we’ll get dinner.”

“I expect burgers or stuffed-crust pizza.”

“Okay, first rule of dating me, real food from now.” Harvey said as they walked out of his office. Mike was too busy focusing on the fact that Harvey said they were _dating_ and so he wasn’t able to defend his love for burgers and pizza.

All things considered, Mike’s risk paid off. It was the scariest and best risk he had ever taken in his life and it actually _paid off_. It was better than anything. It was better than winning all the cases he had ever won because he had just closed the best closer in New York City.

And it felt damn great.

***

Harvey had always taken this train alone. Ever since the day he decided to make it a tradition, he had always just planned and assumed that he would be alone on this journey. That was why he found it a little bit surreal that he was now sitting on the train with Mike Ross of all people, who wouldn’t stop asking him questions about where they were going and what he was planning to do.

He was pretty sure that he had planned for this. He knew that Mike got bored easily, what with that giant brain of his, so he made sure to bring all the pretty gadgets he could and some new books that he was pretty sure Mike would love so he’d have something to do during the journey. What he didn’t count on was the fact that Mike finished all the books, even the digital ones, in record time. He forgot how fast the kid could read. He honestly thought he brought enough, and even Candy Crush couldn’t occupy his time much.

“C’mon Harvey, just tell me,” he said, poking Harvey’s side like an excited little kid. He turned his attention away from the window and the passing scenery to look at Mike closely.

“We’re almost there,” was his only answer, trying his best to stifle the smile that was threatening to break out at Mike’s disappointed expression.

He and Mike had been together for about a year now and it still hit him like a punch to the gut sometimes, or a slap to the face, how much he never thought he’d ever find someone to be with in a long term kind of arrangement. His relationship with Mike was the first and only relationship he’d had that lasted a year (and hopefully a lot longer). And in Harvey Specter years, according to Donna, that was almost forever.

It hurt sometimes, how much he loved Mike because just the _thought_ of losing him, of not being enough for him... Sometimes Harvey couldn’t even sleep at night just thinking about those things. But it didn’t really matter. He had Mike and he may never be the kind of person to always tell someone those three words, but he knew that Mike knew and for the two of them, that was enough.

“Are we going to meet a client?” Mike said again, for about the thousandth time in as many hours. He must have forgotten that he had an eidetic memory because he had asked that exact same question about... “Fifty seven times, Harvey, I know.” Oh of course the kid knew. He was just being a little bitch.

“What’s with your impatience?” He asked, grinning like an idiot. The truth was, he was kind of excited about the whole thing, but also kind of worried about Mike’s reaction. “I gave you the day off. You should be happy about that.” He joked.

“I’m actually ecstatic. Just curious about where we’re going.”

Harvey was saved from answering when the train gradually slowed to a stop, distracting Mike for a second as he grabbed their stuff and went over their space once more to make sure that they didn’t miss anything.

Mike was unusually quiet on the cab ride to their destination. He appeared to be lost in thought so Harvey didn’t question the temporary respite.

“Macallan 18,” Mike suddenly said, looking at Harvey rather seriously. “I finally figured it out. You know I don’t know much about liquors but I know that that one is special to you. It was your dad’s favorite. We’re going to see him, aren’t we?”

Harvey nodded, a small smile on his face. He tried to make it as much of a surprise as possible but he should have known that Mike was just too damn bright for silly little things like that.

He had never brought anyone to his dad’s grave. Not even Donna. Mike had never asked him to even though Mike had brought him to his parents’ and grandmother’s graves on the anniversaries of their deaths. He had always considered the whole ritual as something extremely personal, something only he and his father shared.

But now, well, now it was probably time to share it with Mike. “It’s his death anniversary.” He answered simply.

“I figured,” Mike said quietly. “I mean, not really, but I kind of connected the dots? A few years back when we were still dealing with Daniel Hardman? You asked me to meet you at the train station and then every year after that, you’d be gone, on the same day. So yeah, I did miss something today.”

“It still surprises me that you think you should remember everything and yet you can’t remember your-”

“Phone, I know. But you know it’s not the same thing.” Mike protested. Then he smiled and kissed Harvey’s lips briefly. “Thanks for bringing me.”

Fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination. Harvey led the way across the vast graveyard toward where his father was buried. The atmosphere was rather subdued but not uncomfortable. Mike just knew how important this was to Harvey and how much bringing someone here meant to him.

He finally stopped walking and placed the bottle of scotch on top of a simple grave stone with _Gordon Specter, loving father_ written on it. Mike stood beside him, quiet and contemplative.

“Dad, this is Mike.” He said, staring at the grave stone. “Mike, my dad.”

“Mr. Gordon Specter. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Harvey pulled out three tiny shot glasses from his jacket pocket and placed them on top of the grave stone too. Then he proceeded to fill each one while saying, “Have I ever told you about my dad?”

“That one time when we got high. You told me he was a sax player with lots of groupies.” Mike said lightheartedly. The time when they got high was a rather fond memory for Harvey too. Even though they were dealing with a lot of things then, they still came out stronger for it.

“Did I ever tell you how he died?” Mike shook his head. “I missed a call from him because I was busy working. Didn’t get a chance to call him back. The day I found out was the day I made junior partner. I thought then that he would’ve probably been so proud. But he didn’t even get the chance to hear it. When I got the news, I forgot about why making partner was important in the first place.”

That was why he understood, probably better than anyone else, how Mike felt the time his grandmother died.

“From then on, I vowed that anything that happens in my life, anything important, anything worth telling, he’d be the first to know. No matter what.” And it was true. The weekend after he made senior partner, he visited his father’s grave and told him all about his promotion and how he had met this kid who had no credentials and still managed to land the job through sheer wit and determination alone. How he had risked his entire career for this kid, and how he was probably a little bit in love with him from the very beginning.

He was pretty sure his dad would have loved Mike.

He took two glasses and handed one to Mike. Then, turning to face the gravestone, he raised his glass and said, “Dad, this is Michael. We’ve been together for a year now. I’m probably gonna marry him someday. I just thought you should know,” before knocking back a shot of scotch.

Mike drank his scotch, grabbed Harvey’s free hand and kissed the back of it. “I love you. And I’d probably say yes when you ask. Just thought you should know.”

Harvey smirked and kissed him on the lips. For the first time in his life after his dad died, the loneliness was gone. The crushing weight of responsibility and obligations and guilt, above all else, _guilt_ , was gone. For the first time in his life, it had been replaced by something he couldn’t quite name but he was pretty sure he would like to keep forever.

He would like to keep Mike forever.

**end**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done! My first ever fanfic. I'm so happy. Thank you so much for all of the nice comments and love. My favorite chapter is also the Scottie POV. That was the scene/idea that got me started writing this whole thing in the first place. What was your favorite chapter?


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